Three Police Officers Were Fired for Forcing This Man to Eat a Gram of Weed

"Do I really have to do this?"

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By David Downs

Sep 26, 2016

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In a scene straight out of the comedy film "Super Troopers", three Arizona law enforcement officers reportedly forced a suspect to eat raw marijuana flowers, and then subsequently lost their jobs for it.

The incident began in the early morning hours of Sept. 13 in Phoenix when police stopped a 19 year-old driver for a traffic infraction. Police reportedlt found a gun and a gram of leafy herbal substance in the car and reportedly told the suspect to eat the weed or go to jail.

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"He said, 'Do you want to go home tonight?' I was like, 'Yeah, I have work tomorrow,' Castro said. 'The officer said, 'Either you eat the marijuana or go to jail tonight.' I asked him, 'Do I really have to do this?'"

The suspect ate the cannabis, got a traffic citation and was not arrested. His vehicle was towed. The suspect said he became sick and reported the incident, which triggered the investigation, and the resignations of three officers. A fourth received administrative discipline for delaying the investigation.

Phoenix Police Chief Joe Yahner said the three officers — Richard G. Pina, Jason E. McFadden and Michael J. Carnicle — were new recruits and would have been fired if they had not resigned. All had body cameras but had turned them off.

Yahner also told reporters Lt. Jeff Farrior was demoted to sergeant over the incident. Two of the officers are suspects in a criminal investigation.

In California, police are making campaign donations to defeat Proposition 64, which would legalize the possession of up to an ounce of pot, as well as several grams of cannabis extract.

California makes about 25,000 arrests per year related to marijuana. Experts say a significant amount of these arrests occur during traffic stops for minor, unrelated traffic infractions, or in DUI checkpoints. Young people of color bear the brunt of the this enforcement, researchers say.